Rivals
by diego12191
Summary: Rated M for violence, sex, and language. GambitXOC and SabretoothXOC. Takes place between the first X-Men movie and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
1. Chapter 1: First Blood

The wind whipped against his face, feeling like a thousand tiny blades. The air was cold enough to see his breath, and he walked with his hands buried deep in his jean pockets. A few delicate snowflakes had started to land in the man's dark, matted hair, as he walked briskly down the deserted alley. A rat peered at him from within a nearby trash can, it's single, beady eye flashing in the distant streetlight, before it turned away, pale, hairless tail disappearing behind it as it scurried into the dark. The man stopped, eyes narrowing, nose twitching at some nearby scent. "What the fuck do you want?" Logan growled.

"Bit late for a stroll, huh, Jimmy?" a gravelly voice said behind him.

"Look, bub," Logan said, turning around slowly, "I don't know what you're after but you've got the wrong guy."

"On the contrary," the man spoke again, showing off his large canine teeth with a smile, "You're exactly the man I'm looking for." He was wearing a slate gray trench coat that moved only around his ankles, defying the weather. His hair and eyes were similar to Logan's, but it was his height that set him apart, and his discolored, claw-like nails that were slowly extending as he spoke.

Logan raised a single eyebrow before six, foot-long blades slid past his knuckles.

"Ah," the man said, grin deepening, "Now the fun begins." He let out an animal scream before charging on all fours. His claws sunk into Logan's shoulder just as he felt the familiar sting of adamantium across his upper abdomen. The two men stumbled backwards, slamming against a brick wall.

"Before I forget," the taller man said, a smirk playing across his face, "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday." Logan snarled, shoving the man back and tossing him as far as he'd go. One of the man's arms made a sickening crack as he crashed against the opposite wall, sliding down onto the concrete.

"Who _are_ you?" Logan demanded. His eyes widened as the puncture wounds in the other man's chest began to fade.

"Victor Creed," he replied, standing up and rotating his shoulder back into place, "The two of us go way back, Jimmy-boy." Victor lunged at him again, but Logan jumped aside, barely missing the fiend's claws. He couldn't avoid Victor's quick calculations, however, as he suddenly felt the man's claws on either side of his neck. Victor hoisted him off the ground, choking Logan against the wall.

"Getting slow, old man," he laughed, "You know, I've been thinking lately, how exactly would our healing factor fix a suffocated brain? I mean, even if you _do_ survive, you're going to be a total vegetable for the rest of your life, right?" Logan struggled, trying to pry Victor's hands from his throat.

"I don't know why no one's ever thought of it before," he continued, unabated, "You hear that popping noise, Jimmy? That's the sound of your brain cells explo-" Victor choked on the last word as Logan's knee made contact with his groin.

"You talk too much," Logan said, stabbing Victor through the heart.

The blades retracted back into Logan's hand as his ears picked up the sound of shouting and heavy trucks in the distance. He took one last look at Victor, now lying in a pool of blood, before making a run for it.

----

Credit for some dialogue goes to Mark Miller from Ultimate X-Men #12.


	2. Chapter 2: Break In

Victor woke slowly, eyes blinking as he tried to adjust to the fluorescent light. He was lying in a small cage, his arms confined behind his back.

"Morning, Creed," a deep voice spoke from above him. Victor turned, raising himself onto his knees to look at the man who was speaking to him. He was fairly tall with light brown hair speckled with gray; his eyes were a piercing green. He was wearing full military garb.

"Lieutenant Rathborn?" Victor questioned, eyebrows rising in surprise.

"That's _Colonel_ Rathborn," the man said, smirking while chewing on the butt of a smoldering cigarette.

"Well, congrats on that," Victor said, getting to his feet.

"Do you know why you're here, soldier?" Rathborn asked.

Victor leaned up against the bars of his cell so he could better look the man in the eye. He gave a toothy smile before answering, looming over his captor, "I have my guesses, but I'm sure you've been thinking out this little speech for some time and I'd hate to deprive you."

Rathborn snarled, spitting out his cigarette so it bounced off Victor's chest. "Personally, I was inclined to just kill you myself when I heard rumor you were down in Syracuse, but Commander disagreed. Seems to think you're still of some use to us. If I were you, I'd do my best to prove him right."

"If I were you," Victor said, "I'd hope they've gotten real good at that DNA crap cause when I get out of here even your dear old mum's not gonna be able to identify you." Rathborn's eyes widened slightly, but quickly dropped back to his normal demeanor as he snickered, "I wouldn't hold your breath." Victor watched him walk away, his smile never leaving his face.

---

Annessa sat in the front of her metallic black Ferrari, keeping an eye on her watch. It was a quarter to six in the morning. "Show time," she murmured under her breath, mouth twisting into a grin.

The guard looked up in surprise at the girl approaching him. She was tall with shoulder-length, curly brown hair, wearing a silk, scarlet tanktop under a fitted black, leather jacket with a pair of dark jeans and leather boots. "I'm sorry, miss," the guard began, "but this area is off-limits to all unauthorized personnel." She continued to walk towards him, at an ever quickening pace. "Miss-" the guard began again.

She reached him before he could pull out his gun, hitting him hard in the throat and sending him sprawling. Annessa reached into her pocket, pulling out a dark glove which she put on her right hand. Walking up to the door she placed her gloved hand on a small console at the side and the gates swung open. She tugged the glove back off, stuffing it in her pocket before continuing onward.

The compound was rather sparsely patrolled, most likely due to lack of funds. Annessa also suspected the guards were more concerned about one of their prisoners breaking out than someone sneaking in. It didn't take her long to locate Victor's cell.

"'Bout time," he said, smirking at her as she approached the bars.

"You got here earlier than planned," Annessa replied, reaching into her pocket for a small PDA this time. She plugged the tiny computer into a console on the way with a number pad. With the click of a button the computer began to whir through possible passwords.

He ignored her comment. "You're looking sexy today."

"I try," she replied, hearing the tell-tale click of a correct code. The bars swung out with a clunk, quickly followed by a high-pitched ringing sound.

"Shit," Annessa muttered, "set off the alarm…"  
"Don't worry about it," Victor assured her, moving out of his cell, "Just help me find the control room." She rolled her eyes, releasing his hands from their ties and taking the lead out of the room. Several guards had made it to the hallway by then; she held back slightly so that Victor could take care of them.

"Aaah, my favorite part," he said, claws extending. He ignored the bullets flying in his direction, charging forward and tearing the head off the first guard. His claws slashed into the chest of the next, ripping through the throat of the third. By the time he made it to the end of the hall they were the only ones left. "So this is where your tax dollars go?" Victor roared, smirking as he swept his arm over the pile of mutilated bodies across the floor. "I didn't even break a nail!" Victor laughed at his own joke, but Annessa ignored it, side-stepping him to take the lead again.

They encountered several more guards along the way. Victor took down most, leaving a sea of death in his wake. After following the winding corridors for a while Annessa finally stepped out into a large, empty room. In one of the far corners was a state-of-the-art computer, hidden behind Plexiglas walls. Near it was the entrance to a darkened room – the door-frame big enough to permit a truck to drive through. The rest of the area was mostly bare – a few chains hanging from the ceiling and several crates lined up against the wall. A shimmer from the distant room caught her eye as Victor moved in front of her again, eyes narrowed.

Colonel Rathborn stepped out from the dark, closely followed by a petite Asian woman with dead-looking eyes. She was dressed entirely in leather, with her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

"Joule, long time no see," Rathborn greeted Annessa, tipping his hat ever-so-slightly. Victor moved further in front of her, crouching down slightly with his claws at the ready. "Ah, Creed," Rathborn said, addressing him with a cold smile, "I'm sorry, I hadn't gotten a chance to introduce you to my friend here, the last time we spoke." He stepped aside, letting the small Asian woman move forward. "This is Weapon XII." The woman's fingernails extended into ten long, thin blades of pure adamantium.

Victor lunged at the girl with a roar, digging his claws into her neck as he felt one of her nails stab into his thigh. Annessa made a dash for the console, jerking to a halt when she felt a pair of strong hands close around her wrists. "Not so fast, sweetie," Rathborn sneered at her. She swung her foot out behind her, hitting him hard in the shins and slamming her hand into his face when he loosened his grip on her arms. "I'm _not_ your sweetie," she snarled as he clutched his bleeding and broken nose.

"You little bitch!" he roared, his bloodied fist connecting with her cheek. She stumbled backwards before running again, searching in her jacket pocket for her PDA.

Victor twisted backwards, dislodging the woman's nails and flinging her over his head. She landed several yards behind him, struggling to get back to her feet. Victor lunged again, digging his claws into her stomach as she impaled her blades into his back.

Annessa pushed passed the glass door, pulling out her adaptor and plugging the PDA into the console. It made a buzzing sound as it attempted to push pass the computer's firewall. She glanced back at the fight going on outside. Rathborn had disappeared from site, probably trying to get to his car before Victor could catch up to him. She winced, seeing the Asian woman's nails rip through his torso before Victor smashed her against a wall. Annessa glanced back at the screen which was now displaying a list of filenames. She right clicked on the one titled "Weapon X", hitting "download." A bar labeled "buffering" appeared before her, displaying an estimated download time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Victor fell to the floor, his head turned at an awkward angle. The woman looked up from his body, blank eyes locking on her next target. Annessa froze, eyes darting between the woman and the console's countdown. She took a deep breath before moving out from behind the glass wall, hands clenching into fists. The Asian woman was much faster than her, blades slicing across Annessa's arm. She ignored the pain, punching the woman hard in the stomach and sending her flying back across the room. She lunged at Annessa again but was stopped by a clawed hand ripping into her torso.

Victor roared, pounding his hand into the woman's abdomen, ripping through flesh. Her nails dug into his chest, and he could feel his lungs filling with blood. He pushed further, ripping into her torso and moving toward her chest. He sneered when he felt what he was looking for, her dark eyes widening in surprise. He yanked her heart from her body, pulling himself from her claws as he fell backwards. The PDA beeped – download complete.


	3. Chapter 3: Lucky Man

"Another fucking royal flush!" a huge, balding man growled, dumping his own cards across the table. "That's the third tonight, LeBeau!"

A tall, skinny man in a dark jacket and matching hat, dragged a pile of chips across the table, increasing his own pile drastically. "What can I say," he replied, smiling, "I'm a lucky man."

"Mind dealing me in, boys?" a young woman asked, sitting down at the table across from LeBeau. She had dark, curly hair and a pale, slender figure, offset by a denim jacket underneath of which she was wearing a lacy lavender dress.

"Ah, are you sure, Vera?" LeBeau asked, giving her a meaningful look.

"Positive," she replied, shooting him a wicked grin.

The bald man groaned at the end of the next game, tossing the rest of his cards on the table, "That's it, I'm out."

"Thanks for playing," Vera said, beaming and sliding the pot in her direction.

"I'm out too," a short, bearded man chimed in, laying his cards out as well "I'm gonna go grab a beer."

"Aw, come on!," Vera grumbled before turning to LeBeau, "You're still playing, right Remy?" She was surprised to see that he was looking elsewhere.

"_What's wrong?_" her voice asked in the back of his head.

"_Nothing, mon cheri. I'll be right back,_" he thought in reply. She frowned, watching him go.

Remy stepped outside to find a slightly short, but muscular man waiting for him just outside the Casino. He was wearing blue jeans with a thick belt, plaid shirt, and dark leather jacket. He lit a cigar and placed it in his mouth.

"What brings you to New York City, Logan?" Remy asked, leaning against the wall.

"Lookin' for answers," the man replied, letting off a puff of smoke, "Hoping _you_ could help."

Remy sighed, "I'm with you, but I'm not sure what exactly you expect me to do."

"You are the first person I saw, or at least remember seeing," Logan said, "You're the only friend I had on that damn island. Even if you don't have any answers, you can help me find 'em."

Remy glanced back at the casino door. "Meet me at the Denny's on 41st and 8th first thing tomorrow morning," he said.

"Thanks," Logan said, turning to leave.

"Don't mention it," Remy replied, moving to go back inside.

Vera was waiting for him just past the door. "I'm coming with you," she said, not waiting for him to speak.

He frowned, speaking sharply, "No**,** you are not. I don't want to argue about this, fillete."

"You won't have to," Vera snapped, glaring at him, "because it's not your decision to make."

He shook his head before saying, "It will be dangerous. You could get hurt."

"So could you," she pointed out, annoyed, "I've been living on the streets of New York for years now. I think I can handle myself." Remy looked at Vera with a tired expression, knowing it was hopeless to fight her once she'd made up her mind about something. "Let's play another round," she said, more gently in an attempt to change the subject. He sighed, following her back to the table.

---

Victor and Annessa raced across the compound. She stuffed the PDA back in her pocket as they burst through the main entrance, the sound of distant sirens ringing in their ears. Victor followed her down a gravel road, turning into a small campground where she'd parked her Ferrari. He stood impatiently by the passenger door as she rummaged around under her seat.

"Here," she said, tossing him a towel and a bottle of water, "Wash your hands before getting in the car." He snarled but did as she asked, stuffing the bottle and bloodied towel under his own seat as he sat down. "Where are we headed?" Annessa asked, putting the Ferrari in gear.

"Just start heading north," Victor growled. "I'll tell you when to stop."

They'd been driving for over an hour before he finally told her to pull over. She parked in front of a rather rundown-looking hotel. "I'll grab us a room," he told her, stepping out of the car, "Why don't you go pick up some food."

She nodded, putting the car in reverse as he walked through the front doors. It didn't take her long to locate a McDonald's. She ordered a coffee and egg sandwich for herself, a large coke, three big macs, and a large fries for Victor.

"Your boyfriend's in room 119," the man at the front desk informed her when she walked through the hotel's main door. She nodded at him before moving on down the hall.

Victor had just got out of the shower when she came in. He was standing in a pair of faded jeans, staring out the window. "Food's here," she announced, placing the bags on the table and digging in. He sat down across from her devouring his meal faster than she could eat hers before moving back to the window.

"I'm going to go take a shower now," she informed him, sipping the last of her coffee. He merely grunted in reply. She wondered what he was thinking, but didn't dare ask.

A little while later, Annessa stepped out of the shower, a wall of thick steam following in her wake. She looked herself over in the mirror. The slash marks on her arm weren't too deep, and besides that she only had a small bruise on one cheekbone. She wrapped a towel around her body before stepping out into their small, hotel bedroom.

Victor was nowhere in sight, but that wasn't unusual for him. She was pleased to see he'd at least brought their bags in, however. Annessa crossed the room to turn off the lights; he'd come back to bed when he was through with whatever he was doing.

Annessa stopped when she felt a pair of strong arms reach around her waist, pulling her close. She felt Victor's breath on her neck right before he bit down, hard enough to leave a mark. She gasped before giving him a playful smirk and prying herself free. "Give me some warning would you?" she laughed, flicking off the light.


	4. Chapter 4: Bonus Scene

-WARNING: This Chapter Portrays a Graphic Sex Scene. It Is Possible To Skip This Chapter Without Missing Out On The Plot. Reader Discretion Advised.-

Victor didn't waste time in pushing her hard against the wall, her chest flattening under her as he pinned her hands above her head with one of his own. "I'm going to enjoy this," he whispered in her ear as a single claw made its way down her body. She shuddered involuntarily and he grinned.

Annessa didn't have time to think before she found herself flying onto the bed. Victor ripped his jeans off in one swift motion, his eyes never leaving her body. His smirk broadened as he made his way over to the bed. Annessa could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in shallow bursts.

The bed sunk with his weight as he crawled over her, his hands pinning her arms on either side of her body. Victor's lips captured hers in a kiss. Her back arched toward him as his tongue began to explore her mouth, tasting mint. He growled low in his throat, breaking the kiss and working his way down to her breasts.

Victor took a single nipple in his mouth rolling it with his tongue and causing Annessa to moan softly. He released her arms so he could use a hand on her other breast, and she immediately used her newfound freedom to pull him closer. He bit down softly, enjoying her gasp, before planting another kiss on her mouth.

Victor worked his way back down, this time with his hands, tracing circles around the outside of her breast but only lightly brushing her nipples before moving on. His nails raked across her stomach, making her hair stand on end. He smirked when he came to his destination, sending a warm breath across her nether lips. His grin widened when she jerked, and he lowered his head, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

She moaned when his tongue first made contact with her clit, pulling his head closer. He licked slowly, twirling it with his tongue and scooping her hips higher with his hands. He moved slightly lower, lapping at her opening as her juices began to flow. She groaned, hips rocking against his face as he continued to lap at her cunt. When he felt her muscles begin to tense he quickly moved back toward her clit, biting down gently. It was enough to send her over the edge.

He waited for her to come back down to earth before pulling away. Annessa's eyes widened in surprise when he got off the bed. "Vict-" she began, cutting off when he yanked her up with him. He put her down when they got to the opposite wall, pressing his body up against hers. "I want you _now_," he growled.

He pushed into her in one swift motion, filling her completely and enjoying her gasp. He savored the feeling for a moment before pulling back, only to ram into her again. She moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist as she was pushed farther into the wall. He pressed his mouth to hers again, grabbing the back of her neck and enjoying the feeling of his tongue in her mouth, as he set the pace.

Annessa ran her fingers across his back, feeling Victor's muscles clench beneath her hands, as he continued to rock back and forth. It was a while before Victor finally came with a howl, a sound not entirely human. His seed filled her as he bit down on her neck.

His breathing was ragged when he pulled away. She let her legs drop back to the floor and he slumped against the wall. Annessa sat down beside him, catching her breath. She was too tired to move, and was relieved when Victor got up and threw her a pillow from the bed. He lay down beside her, spreading the blanket over both of them before rolling over and falling asleep. She smiled, watching him for a while before weariness got the best of her as well.


	5. Chapter 5: Trust

Remy walked into the restaurant, a rush of cold air followed him through the door. Behind the tall counter stood a woman in a green polo and black apron with a Denny's logo. "How many?" she asked Remy, giving him a meaningful look.

"Just two," Remy replied, pretending not to notice her advance.

"Follow me," the woman said, grabbing a pair of menus and leading him to a table in the far corner. "What's the name of the person you're waiting for?" she asked as he took his seat, looking more downtrodden now.

"Logan," Remy answered.

She perked up again, screwing up her eyes in an overly enthusiastic smile. "Alrighty, I'll let him know where you are."

"Thanks," he said.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to tell that my name is Jessica and I'll be your server today," she sighed, "I don't know why I'm the greeter and the server though," she continued to trail on, but Remy had stopped listening. She blushed when she realized she was babbling to nobody. "I'll be back with your friend in a bit," she said, her face still burning, "Is there anything you'd like to drink?"

"Iced tea, please," he said, flipping his menu open as she walked away.

Logan arrived a little while later wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a leather jacket; smoking a cigar as he sat down. He watched as Remy dumped an inordinate amount of sweetener in his tea.

"I'm heading for Canada later today," Logan said, not bothering to open his menu. Remy didn't answer, stirring his tea with a spoon as the waitress made her way back to the table.

"Can I get you boys anything?" she asked.

"Coffee," Logan growled.

"Have you decided what you'd like to eat?" she asked, keeping her eyes locked on Remy.

"Two eggs, over easy, grits, toast, and sausage links," Remy replied, smiling back at her.

"Lumberjack slam sounds nice," Logan said a cloud of smoke forming in front of him as he spoke. He waited until she was out of sight before speaking again, "I want you to come with me."

"What do you need me for?" Remy asked.

"I need someone I can trust," Logan explained.

"Why me though?" Remy questioned, before taking a sip of his tea.

"I told you _yesterday_," Logan growled. The two sat in silence until the food came, politely thanking the server before digging in.

"I'll help you," Remy said finally, finishing up the last of his eggs, "but I need to take care of something at home first."

"Fine," Logan said, "Why don't I come with you? I have nothing to pack." Remy shrugged, looking in his pocket for a tip. The two left, thanking their waitress on the way out.

Remy's apartment complex was in the Bronx, meaning he and Logan had to take the subway to get there. It was an old, brick building only four stories high. The two took the stairs to the top floor. Remy's room was on the far side of the hall.

"I'll wait here," Logan said, leaning against the wall as Remy unlocked the door.

Remy entered his studio apartment which had one bedroom and a joint kitchen/living room. The main room was sparsely furnished and in bad need of cleaning. Two sleeping bags draped across the futon sofa in the center of the room.

"Who's your friend?" Vera asked, catching Remy's attention. She was wearing an oversized white t-shirt and red athletic shorts. Her hair had yet to be combed, instead thrown into a messy ponytail. She was standing in front of the kitchen sink, scrubbing at a crusty plastic plate and refusing to make eye-contact.

Remy sighed, "We're leaving as soon as I finish packing my stuff. I'm sorry I didn't wake you, poulette, but this isn't for you. I'll be back in a few days." He felt a tingle at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away, seeing her frown as he did so.

"It's not like you to keep me out like this," she said quietly, still not looking at him and placing the plate in the drying rack before picking up another.

"I'm sorry, Vera," he said, slowly, "but I don't want you following me. This isn't your fight." She whipped around, eyes blazing into his as she dropped the plate back into the sink. He staggered backwards, and her hand clenched around his shirt collar.

"So whose fight _is_ it, Remy?" she snapped, "His!?" She pointed toward the doorway. "And who is he; another one of Stryker's victims?"

"You don't understand, fillete," Remy tried to explain, pulling her hand from his shirt, "I saw what they did to you. I won't let that happen again."

"Oh, so now you're my knight in shining armor?" she said, "I don't _need_ your protection, _Gambit_. I can take care of _myself_." He flinched as she pulled away, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's not like that, cheri," he said softly, "I don't want you to _need_ me; I want you to _trust_ me."

"Then why don't you start by trusting _me_," she said, just loud enough for him to hear. It took him a while to answer.

"Why don't you get changed while I pack," he said at last, giving her hand a squeeze before moving past her.

The apartment door opened again a little while later. Logan raised his eyebrows as Remy walked back out, followed by a dark haired girl. She was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, and carrying a purple duffle bag with both of their things.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, while Remy locked the door behind her, "We haven't officially met. I'm Vera Musil."

"Logan," he replied simply.

"I know you probably wanted to drive," Remy said, turning around so he was facing his friend, "But it makes more sense to fly, in which case we should probably take the helicopter." Logan's eyes widened and he groaned, regretting asking Remy for help already.


	6. Chapter 6: Weapon X

Annessa woke up slowly, feeling confused. It took her a moment to remember why she was curled up on the floor. She pulled the blanket off herself, careful not to disturb Victor who was still asleep. She stood for a moment, leaning against the wall and watching him rest. Annessa smiled then made her way over to her luggage in search of clothes.

She sorted through her bag, finally settling on a pair of shiny red pleather pants, a white lace corset, and black leather high-heels. Annessa noticed her PDA had fallen on the floor and picked it up. The file entitled "Weapon X" was still highlighted, "download complete" displayed next to the name. She felt her curiosity rising. Victor had never told her what Weapon X was or why he wanted the files on it. Annessa glanced back at where he was laying; Victor's eyes were closed, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept.

She tapped the screen and a series of pictures and documents popped up on the display. There were x-rays of someone's skeleton; the person seemed to have extra bones in their forearm. There was a second x-ray of what appeared to be the same person, only this time the man's bones were covered in a layer of metal. Annessa knew who this person was: Victor's half-brother, James. She skimmed the documents: an in depth description of how the metal had been bonded to his skeleton. Annessa's eyes widened as she realized what Victor was after – adamantium.

"Morning," Victor said, causing Annessa to jump and look up from the screen. He was sitting on the floor where they'd slept, the blanket only barely covering his crotch. Victor smirked, standing up and knocking the blanket aside before moving to find his boxers. "Morning," Annessa said, rolling her eyes before quickly exiting out of the program as he yanked on some clothes. She dropped the PDA back in her luggage, making a mental note to ask Victor about the adamantium later.

They checked out of the hotel a little while later. Annessa followed Victor out of the hotel lobby to her Ferrari, carrying their duffel bags.

Annessa dropped the bags into the trunk of the car. The sun was completely out by now and she had to shade her eyes with her hand to keep from being blinded by the glare.

"You know where to go. Just step on the gas," Victor said, hopping into the passengers-side of her car and slamming the door behind him. She rolled her eyes, sliding into the driver's seat and placing the key in the ignition.

---

"Where the hell did you get this thing, anyways?" Logan asked as Remy navigated their helicopter along an exceptionally steep cliff. It was late in the afternoon and the sky was beginning to turn a fiery shade of orange.

"What, this old girl?" Remy asked, patting the dashboard lovingly, "I won her in a game. Perfect timing too, my plane had just broken down."

"It _broke down_?" Logan asked, eyes widening.

"Yeah," Remy sighed, "Real shame too. I thought about getting her repaired but would have cost me a small fortune."

"Did you win the plane in a game too?" Vera asked. She was sitting behind the two guys, flipping through a magazine. Logan looked pale at her question.

"Sure did," Remy answered, smiling, "From the same guy too." He raised an eyebrow at Vera. "You didn't know that?"

"Must have escaped me," she answered, shooting Logan a wicked grin.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands.

The small Team X base was located at the top of a waterfall, surrounded by trees. It had been abandoned for several years, and the large metal door had been slashed into, leaving a triangular entranceway.

"This the place?" Remy asked, pulling the helicopter in for a closer look.

"I think so," Logan answered, trying desperately to remember but to no avail. Remy nodded and landed the copter a few yards away in a small clearing above the falls.

"So what exactly are we looking for, now that we're here?" Vera asked, stepping out on to the grass.

"Answers," Logan said, stepping down beside her. She raised her eyebrows, glancing at Remy. He gave her a reassuring smile before turning to trail after Logan. She sighed before moving to follow.

The Team X complex was much larger on the inside than it appeared from a distance. Most of the base was underground. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of cement. Fluorescent lights lined the roof, but the lights were dim and flickering, probably on back-up power.

"How did you know where this place was, anyways?" Remy asked as the three made their way down the deserted hallway. He kept glancing back at Vera, looking concerned, but she ignored him.

"Did some fishing around at that old nuclear plant," Logan explained, "The place was abandoned by then and most of the stuff was gone but I managed to bump into mention of this old place."

"What makes you think this place has anything to do with you?" Vera asked.

"Cause according to the files this is where agent 'Wolverine' first joined the records," Logan replied, unsheathing his claws in order to rip down a steel door.

The room they entered was extremely large with a high ceiling. It was mostly empty aside from a metal and glass tank of water in the center. Higher up was a metal overhang with several computer consoles. Logan walked toward the tank, sticking his hand in the water.

"They must have done some sort of experiment in here," Vera said, looking up toward the consoles, "That tank's human sized, and if they _did_ use it for an experiment I'm guessing they saved the results up there. We might still be able to access the files."

"Oh, she's a clever one," a deep, masculine voice said from up above. Logan, Remy, and Vera turned to see a tall man with short brown hair and dark blue eyes peering down at them. He was standing next to a slender woman with golden-brown hair and two different colored eyes: one brown and the other hazel. "Too bad Stryker wiped the files ages ago. Which means," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small PDA, "I've got the only copy of 'Wolverine's origins' right here." Victor smiled, showing his teeth. "Nice to see you again, Jimmy."


	7. Chapter 7: Adamantium

**-Earlier That Day-**

"Pull over here," Victor said, suddenly.

Annessa blinked, startled. She'd been getting wrapped up in her driving and with her music blaring from the car stereo she had forgotten Victor sitting right next to her. She raised her eyebrows and pulled off the road onto the dirt shoulder.

"I'll be back in a minute," Victor said and jumped out of the car before she had even finished parking. She watched him disappear into the surrounding woods; she sighed exasperatedly at his planned spontaneity and sudden abrasiveness. She parked the car, turning it off and pulling the key out of the ignition.

Victor returned a little while later, carrying a large metal box which he placed in the trunk of her Ferrari before sliding back into the passenger seat.

"That's adamantium isn't it?" Annessa asked, making no move to start the car again.

"You read the files?" Victor asked, but didn't look surprised.

Annessa turned to scowl at him, "I'm sick of you keeping things from me, Victor." He raised his eyebrows in surprise not answering for a moment, his eyes scanning her face. She crossed her arms, deepening her scowl.

"Were you ever going to ask me how I felt about your little plan?" Annessa questioned, fuming; Victor looked taken aback by her question. The two sat in silence for a while.

"Annessa," Victor said at last, voice softer than usual, "You know I've wanted adamantium since I worked for Team X, you never said anything before so I assumed you didn't have a problem with it."

"I didn't think you were actually going to do it before," Annessa sighed, "I looked at those Weapon X files, Victor, James actually died, it's dangerous, and I'm not a doctor. What if something goes wrong?"

"It'd be worth it," Victor said, shrugging.

"To you, maybe," Annessa muttered. The car was silent again.

Annessa nearly jumped when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her torso. Victor dragged her across the front seat so that her face was only a couple inches away from his.

"Believe me," he said, "I can take anything James can." He paused with a growl. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but it wasn't because I don't trust you."

Annessa moved to close the remaining several inches of space between them to land a peck on his lips; he smiled slightly when she pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"I understand," she sighed, placing the key back in the ignition, "I know you want this; it just worries me." She started the car. "I'll help you though," she continued, "but promise that you'll tell me these things sooner next time, okay?"

He didn't answer, but instead leant forward to drop another playful kiss on her nose. It was answer enough for her.

**-Present Time-**

"Sabretooth!" Remy shouted, eyes turning a fiery red as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a deck of playing cards.

"You know him?" Logan asked, foot-long blades sliding past his knuckles.

Remy threw a card at Victor and Annessa, who just managed to jump out of the way as it exploded. Remy didn't answer Logan, but rather reached into his coat for his concealed metal bo-staff.

"Remy, wait!" Vera exclaimed, trying and failing to grab for his arm but he was too fast for her, lunging for the stairs to chase after Victor, who was laughing evilly.

Victor dodged Remy's staff easily, managing to knock him off balance while doing so. He stumbled forward and dropped his staff which slid across the floor into the adjacent wall. Victor spun around to see Logan, this time, who had just made it to the top of the stairs.

He jumped aside, but not quickly enough to avoid the single blade that connected with his shoulder. The cut bled for only a second before healing. Victor turned around and took a step back from Remy and Logan, who were both on their feet and were now bearing down on him. Victor's claws extended now darker and more metallic looking than before.

"Those're new!" Logan said, eyes widening in surprise.

"Like 'em, Jimmy?" Victor said, smirking, "Looks like you're not the only one with adamantium anymore."

**-Earlier-**

Annessa and Victor stood before the tank. They'd already poured the liquid adamantium into the proper dispensers and all the computers were online.

"No matter what happens," Victor said, looking Annessa in the eye, "don't stop the machines before it's done." She nodded as he began to strip off his clothes. He smirked at her as he tugged down his boxers and she rolled her eyes before attaching the heart rate and blood pressure monitors to him.

"How long's this supposed to take?" she asked him. Victor submerged himself into the tank but remained sitting upright; Annessa couldn't help but wince at the adamantium infused drills surrounding him. After a long pause, Victor answered her.

"Not sure," he said, reaching for a gas mask; she sighed as he clamped it over his face and laid down in the water.

Annessa made her way up the stairs to stand by the array of consoles. She took a deep breath then flicked all the necessary switches to start the process. The drills buzzed to life, moving on robotic arms toward Victor's body; Annessa wasn't sure if she could watch.

Regardless whether or not she could stomach it, the computer screen displaying all of Victor's vitals, as well as an x-ray of his skeleton was completely hypnotizing. As the drills pierced through his flesh she saw his jaw snap shut on the x-ray and a stream of bubbles floated up from his face to the top of the tank.

There was a display beside the one for Victor's heart rate that told her how much of the liquid adamantium deposit had been depleted. The percentage of adamantium left and his heart rate seemed to be in perfect unison. As the adamantium went down his heart sped up. Annessa bit her lip, watching his heart accelerate past 250 beats per minute. His blood pressure was rising and she had to force herself not to press the "abort" button.

Annessa couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that she wasn't a doctor by the time Victor's heart rate hit 300. She knew he was in trouble and she had no idea what to do. She glanced back at the adamantium screen and saw he only had 8% to go.

"Come on," Annessa muttered, hands clutching the banister, "Come on. You can do this, Victor." The heart rate monitor was beeping frantically and there was more bubbling in the tank. She turned her attention back to the adamantium deposit, watching the percentage go down. 3%, 2%, 1%... It hit 0 and she heard the piercing sound of the heart rate monitor as Victor's heart stopped. "No!" she yelled.

Annessa stopped breathing; her hands turning white around the banister. Her face conveyed no emotion except for her eyes which appeared to be screaming in horror as she stared down at the tank. The drills returned to their ready position, and the monitor continued to make the same high pitch sound as he flat-lined, a constant reminder. She felt like her own heart had stopped.

All of a sudden Annessa heard the tiny blip and turned back to the heart rate monitor's screen. Another blip and a tiny wave appeared across the monitor; followed by another, and another, picking up in pace.

She raced down the stairs, taking large strides up to the tank and peering over the edge. Victor's chest was rising and falling as he breathed in oxygen through the gas mask. His eyes suddenly shot open and she jumped back, own eyes wide in surprise. Victor sat up in the tank, pulling the mask off his face and yanking the monitors from his skin, a huge grin plastering his face.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" he said, turning to Annessa and shooting her his wicked grin. She stepped forward landing a hard smack across his face. He blinked at her in response, looking confused. "What the hell was that for?" he asked.

"Asshole!" she exclaimed, and smacked him again. "I knew you'd fucking die but you could at least not be an ass about it."

Victor let out a hearty laugh before wrapping his arms around her and dragging her in close for a kiss. She pulled away smiling before saying, "Now put your pants on." He smirked again before getting out of the tank.

**-Present Time-**

Vera watched the fight from a distance, feeling completely useless. She was utterly torn between her desire to help Remy and Logan and the overwhelming fact that she didn't stand a chance against Victor. Gazing at the trio, she jumped in surprised, her eyes widening as she suddenly realized she'd lost track of the woman who was with Victor. She frantically scanned the area around her.

"Looking for me?" a sweet voice teased from behind her before something hard connected with the back of her legs. Vera gasped and collapsed to the floor; the woman laughed tauntingly and grabbed Vera by the shoulder. Yanking her back to her feet, she slammed the frailer girl against the wall, knocking the wind out of her.

"You really are pathetic," Annessa said, moving to strangle Vera. Annessa held Vera forcefully against the wall and she flailed uselessly in her attempt to get away. She tried to pry Annessa's vice-like fingers from around her throat, eyes squeezing shut in pain. Annessa laughed, lifting her higher so that her feet no longer touched the ground.

Vera kicked, unable to see where, but still managing to connect with Annessa's shin. It failed to move her.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Annessa said, smirking. She let out a scream when Vera's eyes flew open, boring into hers.

Annessa crumpled to the ground, clutching her head in agony. Vera collapsed barely a foot from her once captor, trying for a while to catch her breath.

"You little bitch," Annessa snarled as she scrambled back to her feet, "What the fuck was that?" Vera didn't answer, standing up quickly even though she was still short of breath. Before Annessa could attack again, she ran for the stairs.

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(A/N: I'd like to seriously thank KShires09 for helping me edit this one. If you haven't already you should seriously check out her stuff. She's recently started writing a prequel story about Annessa.)


	8. Chapter 8: Pathetic

Vera raced up the stairs, heart pounding as she ran. She turned back to see if Annessa was following her and was surprised that she was nowhere in sight.

She turned to look where she was going again, but before her eyes could adjust she heard a tinkling voice say, "Boo." Vera jumped in surprise when she realized Annessa was waiting for her at the top of the stairs, a huge grin across her face. Vera was too startled to stop, instead continuing to barrel her way up the stairs. Her eyes widened in shock when she practically collided with Annessa, who had flung out a fist to connect with her chest at the last moment. Vera tumbled back down the stairs, hitting every single one on her way. Finally her head slammed into the concrete floor at the bottom; she groaned in pain.

Annessa glanced back at Victor, who was being tag-teamed by Remy and Logan, before jumping down the flight of stairs and landing next to Vera. She picked her up by her shirt collar and dragged the barely conscious girl across the room. Annessa yanked her upright and pressed her against the side of the tank, Vera's head lolling to the side. Her eyes were shut now and a droplet of blood was trickling over her puffy lower lip.

"Pitiful," Annessa said and laughed, before smashing the girl into the glass, which broke under the pressure, sending a wave of water splashing over both of them onto the floor.

Remy heard the sound of breaking glass and turned away from the fight to look over the banister. His eyes widened as he saw Annessa holding a limp and bleeding Vera against the tank. "Vera!" he shouted, turning around just long enough to knock Victor into Logan's bladed hand before he jumped over the banister and tossed a card at Annessa.

She dropped Vera to the floor as she ducked, narrowly avoiding the exploding card. "Well hello there, Gambit," she said, smiling wickedly, "Long time no see."

"Annessa," he said, voice dark with rage, "Well isn't this a surprise."

"Is it?" she asked him, looking skeptical but still grinning as she watched him crouch down to touch his fingers to Vera's neck, checking her pulse. He stood back up, seemingly satisfied, but his eyes still burned a hellish red. "I'm going to do to you ten times the damage you just did to her," he growled.

Annessa laughed. "I'd like to see you try, Gambit, but we all know that you're pathetic. That's why Nathan used you and that's why Victor's never bothered to kill you."

He lunged at her, but she stepped aside as the tip of his staff barely missed her face. She swung her foot at his shin in retaliation, but he managed to jump back in time, sending a stream of cards in her direction. Annessa raised her arms in defense and turned to face away as the blast pushed her backwards with ease. Remy leapt into the air, swinging his staff at her head. It connected with her shoulder before she could move out of the way; she stumbled backwards into the wall.

Annessa touched a finger to her bloody shoulder. "I don't know what you see in her Gambit," she said and licked the blood from her finger, "I always thought you only ever went for cheap whores." He swung for her face again, but she caught the staff, ramming it backwards into his chest and knocking him to the floor. "I guess you couldn't have picked a better match though," she said, kicking his staff out of the way before he could reach it, "You're both weak." She stomped down hard on his hand, and he screamed as she heard the sound of his fingers breaking. "Let's see you use those stupid cards now," Annessa said, grinning.

Remy smirked and grabbed a hold of her ankle, dragging her down to the floor. "You forgot something, Annessa," he said as she fell beside him, "The power's not in the cards." Remy hit her flat in the chest with his good-hand, sending her flying across the room; she slammed into the opposite wall, collapsing to the floor.

Victor's eyes widened in horror as he watched Annessa crash against the concrete wall. He elbowed Logan in the nose, hearing it break and causing him to stumble backwards. Victor took the chance to jump over the banister, landing next to Remy who had barely made it to his feet. He hit him hard in the head, sending Remy sprawling yet again; he ran over to Annessa.

"That fucking bastard," Annessa snarled, managing to sit up as Victor came closer.

"You okay?" he asked.

Annessa used the wall to help herself to her feet. "I'm fine," she snapped, wiping some blood from the corner of her mouth, "I can take care of this jackass myself."

Victor looked taken aback. "I wasn't-" he began.

"Forgetting something, bub?" a voice said from behind him before a pair of adamantium blades slashed Victor's back. He grunted in pain before turning around to face Logan, jamming his claws into his brother's throat.

Suddenly they heard the distant sounds of a helicopter and the shouts of approaching soldiers. Victor ripped through Logan's veins, dropping him to the floor and turned to Annessa.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door. They made it out of the room just as a group of soldiers burst through the opposite doorway.

------

_(A/N: Thanks again to KShires09 for editing. If you haven't checked out her prequel to Rivals yet, you definitely should.)_


	9. Chapter 9: Injected

Colonel Rathborn surveyed the area: his soldiers securing the periphery. The floor was covered in a mixture of water and blood, but he was more interested in the three people lying on the ground. He smirked when he saw Vera. "Well, Vortex," he said, crouching over her, "we've finally found you."

"Get away from her," he heard someone yell from the other side of the room. He turned to see Remy looking at him; his eyes flashed red, a card glowing in his unbroken hand.

Rathborn laughed. "Gambit!" he said jovially, "Good to see you again." He glanced over to where Logan had been, several of his soldiers hoisting him off of the ground, "And Weapon X as well," he added, "I might just get a promotion for this." Suddenly he noticed a glowing card flying towards him and jumped back, narrowly avoiding being hit with it. It exploded when it came into contact with the wall behind him.

"I won't miss this time," Remy said, getting to his feet and pulling out another card from his inner coat pocket.

"We'll see about that," Rathborn said and got to his feet as well. With that, Remy electrified yet another card, flinging it at Rathborn. This time it made contact with his hand, but exploded with such little force it barely singed it.

"You should have practiced with your right hand a little more, eh Gambit?" Rathborn mocked as he glanced toward the hallway behind Remy, where he and his soldiers had come from. "Knock him out," he said.

Remy's eyes widened. He turned around as quickly as he could in his state of exhaustion but wasn't fast enough to avoid being jabbed in the back with a syringe by one of the soldiers that had snuck up on him.

He kicked the soldier in the shin and yanked the already empty syringe from his lower back. Remy chucked another card at Rathborn, but there wasn't an of ounce strength behind the throw. He collapsed onto the ground, hearing Rathborn laugh again, standing over him as he lost consciousness.

"We need to work quickly," Rathborn said, leaning over to pick up Vera, "Weapon X won't be out for long." He turned to one of the doctors he'd brought with his team. "I want Vortex's chip reactivated and a chip implanted in Weapon X. He's our prime concern right now." He turned back to the soldier Remy had kicked earlier. "I want Gambit back on the plane. I need some answers before administering the injection."

"Yes sir," the soldier said, saluting Rathborn before tossing Remy over his shoulder. Rathborn was the last to leave the area, carrying Vera.

Regan Wyngarde watched them approach the large, black stealth-jet, waiting for Rathborn's orders. She was wearing a blue jumpsuit and hoop earrings; the fly-away strands of her blonde "bob" haircut were tucked behind her ears. She pulled on her blue gloves leather gloves, and adjusted her pink visor, uncharacteristically anxious.

"Well if it isn't our old pal Gambit," she said as the soldier dumped him on the ground. She slid off the box where she had been sitting in the back of the jet as the soldiers made their way towards her.

"Ah, Lady Mastermind," Rathborn said depositing Vera in a small cage near the front of the jet, "I have a job for you."

"Well that is why I'm here," she said with a touch of sarcasm, flipping her bangs out of her face.

"We believe they know what happened to the stolen adamantium," Rathborn continued as if he had not been interrupted, "And since Gambit's unconscious, he won't be able to block psychic readings," he paused to take a breath. "Find out what happened and where the adamantium is," he ordered, sitting down and buckling his seat belt as the plane prepared for take-off.

"Whatever," Regan said, copying him.

Once the plane was airborne she moved to unbuckle herself, standing and walking over to Remy's body, which had slid backwards slightly with the force of the jet. She reached down and pulled him upwards, propping him against the side of the plane. Grabbing a hold of either side of his face, she pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. A sea of images played across her mind as she watched his battle with Annessa and Victor.

"Sabretooth has it," she said at last, opening her eyes and looking up at Rathborn, "But he's fused it to his bones and claws," she paused, "and he's with Joule." She pulled away from Remy and stood up.

"I was afraid it would come to that," Rathborn sighed, "Good work, Regan."

Regan muttered something incoherent in response as she made her way toward the back of the jet. She stopped when she came to Vera's cage and stared down at her for a moment, an odd look on her face. "This that girl you were talking about?" she asked Rathborn.

"Yeah," he replied; she turned in time to see the smirk on his face before it could disappear. She sighed and looked back at Vera, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of pity for both her and Gambit, some of their most horrible images dancing around her head. She ignored them as she sat down again in the back of the plane.

She watched as Rathborn dragged Remy toward the front of the plane where one of the doctors was waiting. "So explain to me why this is going to work," Rathborn ordered, "He won't just fight it like Sinister's brainwashing?"

"No," the doctor said, pulling out and preparing a syringe, "This injection is filled with a specially programmed nanotech virus." He paused to mutter orders to a second doctor, who left, returning again with a dripping cotton ball which stunk of anti-bacterial solution. "Although Gambit can't be controlled psychically or even with an implanted chip because of the static emitted by his brain, this shot works by attaching nanites to his brain stem." Rathborn was already regretting asking, but the doctor continued without noticing, "These nanites have been set up to allow us to program him remotely." The doctor paused, looking at Rathborn and smiling before quickly adding, "The nanites are made of carbon instead of metal, so they have a similar electronic signature to any ordinary cell."

"Well, I'm glad you've put some thought into it," Rathborn said, thoroughly regretting his need to ask as he watched the doctor inject the contents of the syringe into Remy's arm. "What about Vortex?" he added suddenly, "Are you sure her chip won't short-circuit again?"

"Vortex was only able to escape the implant because it was a very old model," the doctor said confidently, standing up and removing the now-empty syringe from Gambit's arm, "Our newer models, like the one we just implanted in Weapon X, should be more than good enough to handle Vortex's psychic signature; there shouldn't be any more problems." Rathborn nodded, taking a seat, it would be another hour before they made it back to the military base.

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_(A/N: I think if I had to choose a song for the couples in my story it would be "Radar" by Britney Spears. I'm currently working on a prequel for Vera, but I don't know when it will be up. KShires09 is still working on a prequel for Annessa that you can check out on her page, as well as a one-shot that should hopefully be up in the near future.)_


	10. Chapter 10: Captured

Vera awoke to find herself lying on an operating table in an empty room made completely of concrete. Cabinets lined the walls and a single overhead light illuminated the small area around her. She blinked, trying to adjust her eyes to the light so that she could figure out where she was, exactly. She tried to move her arms to rub her eyes but found that her wrists were tied to the table; it took a little careful maneuvering to break them free.

Vera sighed, only vaguely remembering being dragged onto a jet of some sort, her fight with Annessa, and a few incoherent bits of conversation. She seemed to recall that their captors had injected something into Remy, but she wasn't sure what.

All of a sudden, she felt a familiar tingling sensation in the back of her mind; immediately realizing what it was, she knew who the captors were. It took her a minute to calm down enough that she could focus on short-circuiting the implanted chip before it completely took over her mind.

After she was sure the chip was at least mostly disabled, she moved quickly, hoping she could get out of the operating room before whoever had put her there decided to come back. She knew that she had to find Remy and Logan before anyone realized she was missing. She slid off the table, trying not to think about what had happened the last time she'd been taken by the feds.

The door out of the operating room led to a long hallway which was lined with double doors that, she could only assume, led to rooms similar to the one she'd just left. The hall was eerily quiet and lit only by the occasional red wall-light. She closed her eyes and focused on finding Remy; it took her a while to detect him and she was surprised by how faint his thoughts seemed to be. She opened her eyes, biting her lower lip in concern and walked down the hallway towards Remy.

The room she found him in looked similar to hers. Like she had been, he was also lying on an operating table near the far wall, but unlike her, his wrists were not tied down and he was staring blankly at the ceiling. Vera approached him slowly, feeling uneasy; she stopped when she was only a couple feet away, too scared to get any nearer.

"Remy, can you hear me?" she whispered; he didn't respond. She moved closer so she could look down into his face. His eyes were wide, silently screaming, but the rest of his face was entirely devoid of expression. The irises of his eyes were blood red, like they would be if he was using his powers.

She trailed her fingers along the contours of his face; he neither moved nor blinked. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Remy," she sighed, her voice shaking, "What have they done to you?"

She leaned back against the wall, sliding downwards until she was sitting on the cold floor. Remy's uninjured hand was dangling over the edge of the table and she reached up and clasped it in her own. Vera closed her eyes again, feeling defeated. "I'm so sorry," she said softly as her tears escaped and ran down her face in large drops, "This is all my fault." She cried silently for a while, her forehead pressing against her knees, her free arm wrapped around her legs. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

As she sat, she felt the cold of the hard stone floor seep through her whole body and she shivered, but she still clung to Remy's hand.

Vera jumped when she heard footsteps in the hallway outside; reacting quickly, she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand before scurrying across the room to the cabinets on the opposite side. She shoved some medical equipment out of the way, making room for herself. She squeezed inside, leaving the door open a crack so she could still see Remy lying on the table.

Vera watched as Rathborn stepped into the room, her fists clenching in disgust. Rathborn was closely followed by a rather short and balding doctor wearing a pair of dark green scrubs. Rathborn glanced around the darkened room before moving towards the operating table.

"Looks like you were right about the nanites," he said, peering down at Remy, "They appear to have worked perfectly."

"The nanites are not fully functional as of yet," the doctor said, giving Rathborn a steady look. "Total assimilation generally takes twenty-four hours," the doctor said, "It's only been about five." He turned to look down at Remy, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand before checking Remy's vitals.

Rathborn frowned "He looks 'assimilated' to me," he muttered.

"He may look operational, but I assure you he is not," the doctor said quickly, "Gambit's brain is still attempting to reject the nanites; should anything interfere with the process at this point the nanotech control would be shut down permanently."

Rathborn sighed, "What about Weapon X and Vortex though," he said, "Will they take as long?"

"I'd give them less than an hour," the doctor affirmed. Rathborn nodded before turning to walk out of the room; the doctor followed swiftly, closing the door behind himself.

Vera counted to three hundred, whispering under her breath. "290 Mississippi. 291 Mississippi." She breathed out heavily as she reached 300 seconds. "That's about five minutes," she said and carefully clambered out of the small cupboard.

She made her way back to the operating table. "Remy," she whispered as she leant over him, tucking her hair behind her ears to keep it from falling into his face, "I don't know if you can hear me," she said, glad she was no longer crying, "but I have a plan."

She waited to see if Remy could answer her; he did not; she sighed. "I've never tried this before; I don't know if it will work," she said, her voice still shaking, "but I _promise _you, I'm going to fix this, somehow."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she attempted to relax. "Here goes nothing," she muttered when she felt she was ready and opened her eyes again, staring intently into Remy's burning eyes.

----

(A/N: I was informed by KShires09 that I need to explain my nerdiness, soooo… The term "nanite" is a reference to nanotechnology which is, in fact a real thing. Nanotechnology is currently being developed as a possible way to help fight disease, especially in people with weakened immune systems, like those with AIDS. However there is fear it could also be used as a possible biological weapon in the future. It's a favorite of science-fiction nerds.)


	11. Chapter 11: Dreaming

Vera blinked trying to adjust to the pervasive darkness; it took her a moment to realize where she was. Remy's mind was like a black hole, the total darkness and absolute emptiness seemed to penetrate her very soul. She shivered and crossed her arms across her chest, rubbing her back and shoulders for warmth; as she looked around in the blackness.

"Remy?" she called, moving forward, "Can you hear me?" She waited for an answer but none came. "Alright," she sighed, "I'll just assume you can, even if you can't answer." She took a step forward, her feet making a slight scuffing sound underneath her. It reminded Vera of being a child, completely afraid of the dark. She cleared her mind of it.

"I'm going to find you," she said, looking straight ahead, "But I need your help." She paused, still hoping for an answer but not getting one.

"Remember that time I visited you in your dream; the first time we'd been captured by Team X?" she said, trying to hide her worried tone, "Remember the door you walked through, the room, and how I spoke to you?"

The blackness didn't answer; she sighed and continued, now looking at her feet. "I need you to concentrate on making that door for me," she said, "So that I can find you."

Vera waited a while before looking up again, hoping she would see something new, something from Remy, but nothing had changed. After a while she spoke again, "Listen Remy, you've been injected with a nanovirus of some sort, but your mind isn't completely controlled yet. This is your only chance to fight it."

She waited again, praying that Remy could actually hear her and she wasn't just talking to herself. "Try concentrating on my voice if it helps," she added.

When nothing happened she found herself speaking again, faster and more frantically in a failed attempt to keep calm.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier today," she babbled, "I know you were just trying to protect me. I guess I should have listened." She was now somewhat glad that Remy couldn't answer; she continued to ramble.

"If I hadn't insisted on coming along none of this would have happened." She stepped forward, reaching out an arm to feel around blindly in mid-air.

"I'm so weak, Remy," she said, feeling her tears start to fall yet again, "I couldn't help you against Sabretooth or even that girl; I couldn't help you when we were trapped here before. I've always been such a burden."

She stopped, breathing in sharply as her fingers ran across a cool metal object. Vera turned and saw what looked like a tall wooden door; light was escaping from the crack beneath it. She turned the handle quickly, stepping into a familiar room: pure white with no furniture.

It was brightly illuminated, almost blinding, despite the absence of any lights at all. In the center of the room stood Remy; his hands were stuffed in his coat pockets and he was looking at her with a concerned expression.

"You're never a burden, Vera," he said as she crossed the room in one swift motion, throwing her arms around him and burying her head in his chest. She sobbed into his coat, wrapping her arms around him as she continued to cry. He seemed stunned for a moment but quickly moved to put his own arms around her, returning the embrace.

"I found you," she said, her voice muffled.

"Yes, cheri," he replied, his voice comforting her. The two stood in silence for a while. "How did you get here though?" Remy asked, finally.

She looked up at him, smiling from beneath her tears, "Oh, you know," she said, "the usual." He laughed softly.

She let go of him and he returned his hands to his jacket pockets. Her face turned more serious as she moved away from him, wiping the last of her tears on her sleeve.

"We need to get out of here," she said, "Now." Remy nodded and she continued, "I don't know how much time has passed; Rathborn's going to realize I'm missing." Remy nodded again and followed Vera back to the door.

She stopped as she reached it to look back at Remy before she stepped out into the darkness, stopping after taking only a few steps; she turned to see if he was following. He was still standing in the doorway, looking slightly hesitant about joining her in the pitch black. His eyes finally settled on her as his face regained his usual look of confidence. He flashed her a cocky smile and stepped out of the door, closing it behind him.

The area immediately burst with light; Vera winced, she closed her eyes, waiting until they were used to the light to open them again. When she did, she noticed that they were standing in a dark, deserted alleyway, vaguely lit by a nearby streetlight. Green and purple confetti littered the street, and drunken laughter could be heard through a nearby window. She smiled up at Remy, who was also looking around, still smiling.

"New Orleans" he said, taking a step down the road to peer in a lit window, "This is how it's supposed to be." Vera nodded and smiled up at him. "How do we get out of here though?" Remy asked her.

"Just open your eyes," she said, taking his hand. He noticed that her eyes were closed and was taking slow, deep breaths. He mimicked her, focusing on the feeling of her hand in his.

Remy felt suddenly cold as his eyes flew open again; he found himself lying on his back on a cold, metal table, staring up at the dirty concrete ceiling. He sat up, almost hitting his head on the dim overhead light. He winced from the pain in his left hand, which had just dropped onto the table; he sighed and tried to ignore it, suddenly noticing the tug on his right arm.

He looked down to see his hand intertwined with Vera's; she was lying on the floor beside him. Her eyes were closed and he noticed the deep cut on her lower lip and a harsh bruise on her collar bone, undoubtedly from her fight with Annessa. Remy slid off of the table to crouch beside her.

"Vera?" he questioned softly, looking down at her with concern. Her eyes opened slowly and she peered up at him, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "It worked!" she said, sitting up in triumph.

Her eyes widened when his lips suddenly pressed against hers. She quickly closed them, however, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck to pull him closer and deepening the kiss. It seemed like an eternity before he finally pulled away, looking worried. "I'm sorry, Vera," he began, "I wasn't-"

She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him before standing up. "We have to get out of here," she said quickly, as he got to his feet, "We can talk about it later." He nodded slowly and she moved toward the door. He followed her, a mess of thoughts spinning through his head.

(A/N: Thanks to KShires09 for seriously fixing this thing up. Also, the first chapter of my Vera prequel is up. You can find it on my account; it's entitled "X-Men Origins: Vortex." It may help answer any questions this chapter's brought up.)


	12. Chapter 12: Worn Out

Annessa drove along the dirt road, enjoying the scent of the surrounding pinewood forest. Victor was asleep beside her, his head lolling to the side and his arm dangling out the passenger window. She slowed the car before hitting a bump, their Alaskan home coming into view. It was a large cabin surrounded by trees with an equally large garage on the side. Parked out front was a jet-black Toyota pick-up truck; Annessa pulled up beside it, parking her Ferrari before shaking Victor awake.

"We're here," she said, meeting his tired gaze. He nodded and they both stepped out of the car onto the frozen dirt driveway. The ground was covered in a thin layer of frost and Annessa could see her breath as the two made their way up to the porch. Victor fumbled with the keys, still looking exhausted; Annessa hadn't seen him like this before and it worried her, considerably. A warm gust of air shot out at them as Victor pushed open the door, stumbling into the house. She followed him, shutting and locking the door behind her as Victor walked down the hallway and into the living room, collapsing on the nearest sofa.

She followed him down the hall and stepped into the kitchen. "Want me to defrost a pizza?" she asked, pulling open the freezer door.

"Sure," he mumbled into the couch. Annessa yanked the frozen box from the freezer, shutting the door and pulling the pizza out of its packaging. She checked the instructions before popping it in the oven and grabbing a couple beers from the fridge.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, plopping down beside him and handing him his drink.

He smiled, popping the top off with a long fingernail before answering, "I'm fine," he said, "Just tired; how 'bout you?" He looked up at her with a slightly blank expression, but she could still read the deep concern in his eyes.

"I'll be ok," Annessa answered, rubbing her shoulder subconsciously. They sat in silence for a while, gently sipping their beers until the timer dinged from the next room and she got up to retrieve the pizza.

When she returned Victor had already fallen asleep, his beer sitting beside him on the coffee table. She sighed, sitting down next to him again and eating most of the pizza herself. She couldn't help but worry about him as she ate; she suspected the government was already hot on their trail and that Victor's sudden exhaustion was a side-effect of having the adamantium forcefully bonded to his skeleton. She hoped he'd be in better shape by the time the feds actually showed up.

---

Rathborn flung the laboratory doors open, bearing down on the balding doctor who was standing in the center of the room. "How did this happen?" he growled, grabbing the shorter man by the front of his scrubs who gulped before answering. "H-how did what happen?" he asked.

"Gambit and Vortex are gone," Rathborn spat, shoving the doctor back against the operating table he had been preparing.

"But," he stammered, "But that's impossible!" his eyes widening in surprise, "We followed procedure exactly."

Rathborn slammed the doctor hard against the table again, sending it toppling over, the man tumbling to the floor. He glared down at him, eyes burning with rage. "Ready Weapon X," he barked, "We have to stop them before they escape the compound."

"But Weapon X isn't ready!" the doctor exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, "Wolverine is still resisting the implant; he's completely unpredictable."

"You're completely useless!" Rathborn snarled, hands clenching into fists. He turned around and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "This is a code red," he growled, holding down the talk button, signaling every military personnel in the area, "Two mutants have escaped from sector four. They are considered highly dangerous and must be approached with caution, however lethal force will not be permitted. The mutants must be subdued."

"S-sir," the doctor began, face white with fear. Rathborn whipped around, eyes narrowed in disgust. "Sir, if you give me a minute I can try forcing Weapon X's programming. You," he gulped at the look of rage still covering Rathborn's face, "You won't be able to catch Gambit, at least, without Wolverine; he was able to escape last time too easily."

"You think I don't know that?" Rathborn snapped. The doctor stared at him without moving. "What the hell are you waiting for," Rathborn roared at him, "Go!" The doctor nodded before rushing out of the room toward Logan.

Remy and Vera raced down the dark hallway hand-in-hand. Vera's eyes were closed, forcing her to rely on Remy's guidance to keep from falling or running into things. She searched with her mind to find some trace of Logan, but she had so far been unsuccessful. His thoughts were always in chaos and hard to track, but this was even worse than usual.

"Any sign of him yet?" Remy asked, giving her hand a slight squeeze. She opened her eyes, looking up at him before shaking her head.

"Damn," he muttered, pulling her to the side down another empty hallway. They heard voices ahead when they were halfway down it and a set of shadows played across the far wall where the hallway banked to the left.

"Shit," Remy swore under his breath, letting go of her hand to feel around inside his coat. He tore open the thin material producing a hidden deck of cards. "Vera, stay behind me," he told her and prepared to fight.

She did as he'd told her as a group of soldiers turned into view. Remy launched a handful of cards in their direction, but they fell short. The resulting explosion forced the soldiers back, however, obscuring them behind a wall of smoke. He shoved the remaining cards in his pocket before reaching down to grab Vera's hand again, as they raced back in the direction from which they had come.

They turned in the opposite direction of the soldiers at the first chance they got, pushing through another hallway that ended in a large set of double doors. They could hear the soldiers in the distance. Apparently having lost them, they pushed through the doors, slamming them shut behind them.

Vera and Remy found themselves in a large, concrete cave. The air was cold and thick, making Vera shiver as they looked around. The ceiling was illuminated with fluorescent lights and there was another door leading into the cave on their right. On the far-side wall, Vera noticed a tall opening, about 100 feet high. Near the opening sat a series of sleek black jets, lined up facing the outside world.

"Lucky break," Remy mumbled, looking at the jets in satisfaction.

"What about Logan?" Vera asked, turning back toward the door.

"We're out of time," Remy answered, grabbing her hand as he tried to run towards the nearest plane, "If you can't sense him it probably means they've done something to his brain," he added, looking over his shoulder, "If we wait much longer we'll be captured again; then none of us will have any chance at getting out of here. If we leave now we can come back for him later."

"But you know what they'll do to him if we leave him here!" Vera demanded, refusing to budge.

"We have to go," Remy reasoned, "I can't fight like this;" he motioned to his broken hand, "and I'm not going to let Rathborn have his way with you again."

"I don't think that's up to you, Gambit," a voice said from their right. Remy and Vera turned to find Rathborn standing before the other door; directly behind him stood Logan, his eyes looking glazed and his expression uncharacteristically blank.

"Fuck," Remy snarled, giving Vera's arm a tug, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"But—" she began, her eyes locked on Logan's; even though she couldn't actually feel the pain behind them, she could remember her own and she pitied him.

"Weapon X," Rathborn commanded his voice smug, "stop them!" Logan moved around Rathborn, blades extending past his knuckles. His face was still unreadable as he moved slowly toward them.

"Vera, run!" Remy shouted, finally succeeding in pulling her forward. The two raced toward the jet, but were cut off by Logan as he caught up with them, knives slashing across Remy's shoulder. He winced, stumbling backwards, and releasing Vera's hand. Logan swung forward again, cutting Remy just below his eye.

"Vera," Remy bellowed, scrambling backwards, "Start the plane. I'll take care of Logan." She hesitated, knowing Remy was at a great disadvantage with only one usable hand; not to mention he was running out of cards. Logan kicked Remy hard in the stomach and she watched him collapse to the ground, gasping for breath. Logan reached down and dragged him back up by the collar of his shirt but Remy kneed him hard in the groin; Logan didn't even wince.

"Weapon X, subdue the prisoners," Rathborn shouted, looking nervous "But don't kill them." Logan retracted his blades before punching Remy in the chest and throwing him at Vera. She stumbled to the ground, barely managing to catch Remy as he landed on top of her.

Logan stalked toward them as Vera struggled to her feet, dragging a dazed Remy with her. "Come on," she said desperately, yanking him toward the closest jet.

"Why didn't you run?" Remy asked, leaning against her as she dragged him backwards.

"You really think I'd leave you?" she asked as Logan sped toward them. Remy reached into his pocket pulling out his last card, still stumbling backwards toward the plane.

"We'll come back for him," he said, charging the card as she led him to the plane's main door; Logan was close behind them. He reached for Remy's wrist, barely missing it as Vera reached the door, stepping inside.

"Sorry about this," Remy said and flung the card at Logan's face, hitting him square between the eyes. It exploded with enough force to send him flying backwards, giving Remy enough time to stumble through the door and shut it. Vera started the engine.

Remy staggered into the cockpit, taking over the controls beside her. The jet rolled forwards gaining speed steadily as it made its way toward the exit. For a moment Vera was afraid they wouldn't have enough speed to get airborne, but the jet managed it, taking off gracefully as they peeled out of the cave to freedom.

-----

(A/N: Wrote a one-shot for Victor and Annessa entitled "Dangerous When Woken." You should check it out.)


	13. Chapter 13: Change of Plans

Remy switched the controls to auto-pilot before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes, exhausted. Meanwhile, Vera walked through the jet, looking for medical equipment; she finally found a small first-aid kit near the back of the plane. Her head still hurt from her fight with Annessa, but she was more concerned with Remy for the time being. Vera made her way back to the front of the plane, opening the kit to check the contents.

"Let me see your hand," she said, crouching down beside him. Remy opened his eyes and leant forward, letting his broken hand fall in front of her. It was oozing a combination of blood and puss and a couple of his fingers were bent at odd angles; she winced, looking at it, before applying some antibiotic gel. Remy closed his eyes and looked away as she set the broken fingers before bandaging his entire hand.

"I need to see your shoulder now," Vera said, standing up. Remy turned back to look at her; his eyes were soft, unreadable. She moved so that she was standing, her legs on either side of his, then bent down to check his shoulder. Vera grimaced, seeing the blood.

"You're going to have to take off your jacket," she told him, "and your shirt." Vera sighed as she helped him with his shirt before applying gauze to the area. She noticed the harsh bruising along his ribs, but she knew there was little she could do about that.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" she asked, meeting his steady gaze, which hadn't left her since she'd asked to see his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Remy replied. His eyes seemed to be questioning her, but she couldn't figure out what their meaning could be.

She started to get up but Remy reached up suddenly, pulling her back onto his lap. "Vera-" he began, looking deep into her eyes, but she cut him off with a kiss. Her lips locked against his; his arms quickly moved to pull her into an embrace as he kissed her back, his uninjured hand running through her hair. Both completely forgot where they were until they heard a beep coming from the control panel; they both jumped, Vera pulling away from Remy.

She blushed as she noticed Remy's cheeky grin; she stood up and slid into the pilot's chair beside him. "We picked up a signal from the Team X base," she said with surprise, reading the display.

"What's it say?" Remy asked, leaning in to look as well.

"Their prime objective has changed," she said, pausing before continuing, "They're after Sabretooth and that girl now, and they're bringing Logan with them." Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him, "They sent out the coordinates for where they think Sabretooth is."

Remy frowned, thinking as he leaned back in his seat. "It might be a trick," he said, "To make us think they're no longer on our tail."

"I don't think so," Vera said, "I'm guessing Sabretooth stole the adamanitum he bonded to himself, so it makes sense that they'd go after him. And it would also a be chance for them to actually test their control over Logan." Remy nodded as she continued, "Besides, this is the second time we've escaped from them, at this point we have to have be more trouble than we're worth."

"But we stole one of their jets," Remy pointed out, "They're going to want it back."

"Either way," Vera sighed, "We need to get Logan away from them, so we might as well head for the coordinates they sent us. We can intercept them there, and we have a head-start which should give us a slight advantage. Plus," she added, "I doubt they actually expect us to go on the offensive."

"But what if those coordinates are just for another base?" Remy asked.

"I'll check telepathically," Vera answered, "Once we're in range. And if they're not legit, we won't land."

"I don't know," Remy said, still uncertain, "It just seems suspicious and even if it is for real I wouldn't really mind the feds going after Sabretooth for a change."

"But Logan," Vera insisted, "we can't just leave him. Plus, going home and just waiting around for them to catch us doesn't really seem like better plan."

Remy sighed. "Alright, cheri," he said, "We'll do it your way." She smiled at him before entering the coordinates into the auto-pilot's navigation system.

---

Logan threw himself against the side of the cage, sweat beading on his forehead. He stumbled backwards before running at the bars again, closing his eyes against the pain in the back of his skull.

"Give up," Rathborn said, watching him from across the room, "That cage is made out of pure adamantium, same as your skeleton."

Logan swore, yelling incoherently as he hit the cage again with enough force to split his shoulder. Rathborn smirked, turning a knob on the remote control at his side causing Logan to scream and collapse to the floor clutching his head. Rathborn's smile broadened as he watched Logan writhe in agony.

"Plane's ready," a woman said, stepping into the room. She had short blond hair and was wearing a blue jumpsuit.

"About time," Rathborn said, turning back the knob on the remote. He approached Logan's cage, staring down at him. Logan was laying on his side, blades extended and muscles clenched as he gasped for breath. "Ready to go, Wolverine?" Rathborn asked him, sneering.

"Go to hell," Logan snarled. Rathborn grinned again turning the dial on the remote all the way up. Logan's scream could be heard throughout the entire base; Regan, still standing in the doorway, winced at the sound. She was relieved when he finally fell silent, his eyes clouded over as he stared helplessly at the ceiling.


	14. Chapter 14: Help

Regan took her seat in the plane next to Cain, a tall, broad-shouldered man with bright red hair. His muscles flexed when she sat beside him, and he stared off to the side so that she couldn't see his face. Regan and Cain had never gotten along and it annoyed her that they had to work together now. She turned away, pulling out a her walkman and putting on her headphones.

The jet was mostly empty; Rathborn seemed to think that with the addition of Wolverine they would need little help in bringing down Sabretooth and Joule. Regan thought he was underestimating the two, personally. She'd seen how Sabretooth fought from her time in the Marauders and she knew Joule could be a strong opponent. Apart from this, Regan suspected they hadn't seen the last of Gambit or Vortex. Gambit, especially, tended to be the vengeful sort.

She sighed, lost in thought as the plane began to take off. She had never planned to end up where she was now, a government lackey working under the likes of Rathborn. Her father had trained her from a young age to hate the government, and fight it with the powers she had inherited from him.

That was the reason she had joined Mister Sinister's Marauders. She thought she'd been joining a noble cause, one that would make her father proud. But she had been wrong. The Marauders had been nothing more than an experiment for Nathaniel Essex and the destruction of the Morlocks had been nothing like what she'd expected the group to do. Regan had carried out her mission, but she had honestly been somewhat relieved when Gambit had turned and the Marauders had been disbanded. However, she missed those days now.

After the Marauders, Regan had fallen out with her father. When the government offered her a job with the promise of erasing her criminal record, she had felt as though she had few other options; she regretted that decision now. Working for the feds went against all her principles. There was only one reason why she hadn't quit: her current mission.

Regan despised Joule from the day they'd met. Joule was manipulative, using the affections of others, such as Sinister and Sabretooth, to get ahead. She had used her sex appeal to become essentially immortal. It was true that in a way, Regan envied her; she envied the way men looked at her, and hated the way she rarely seemed to notice. But in all honesty, the reason Regan hated her the most was because Joule was everything Regan had always wished to be.

---

"So, should we land?" Remy asked.  
Vera closed her eyes, searching for what she could remember of Annessa and Victor. At this distance, with people whose minds she wasn't extremely familiar with, it was difficult, but she managed to pick up traces of Victor and Annessa below. She opened her eyes again to find Remy staring at her intently. "This is it," she confirmed, "Help me find a place to land."

They landed nearly a mile from the house on the beach next to a large lake. Remy noticed Vera messing with the control panel before they both exited the jet.  
"What was that about?" he asked, raising a single eyebrow at her.  
"I turned on the distress signal," she answered, walking briskly towards the surrounding woods. Remy knew he would have to rely on her abilities to navigate through the dense forest. "It should throw off Rathborn, at least temporarily."

"Good thinking," Remy said, impressed.  
It was late afternoon by the time they made it to Victor and Annessa's home. Remy felt relieved to see it, not enjoying wandering through the woods with no idea of where he was. The house was extremely large, with an equally large garage. Out front were a Toyota Tundra and bright metallic black Ferrari. Remy was surprised to see that there weren't any lights on inside the home and he wondered if he and Vera had come there unnecessarily.

Remy stepped in front of Vera, walking briskly up to the house. As he approached the door, he fished in his pocket, searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" Vera asked, glancing at him suspiciously.  
"You'll see," Remy replied, smirking as he pulled out some type of metal tool. She rolled her eyes as he began to fiddle with the lock; it didn't take him long to pick it. "Come on," he said, motioning for her to follow as he entered through the now-open door. Vera sighed before complying.

Victor and Annessa's home was incredibly beautiful on the inside; it certainly wasn't what Vera had been expecting. The home was spacious and neat, not to mention expensive. The hallway they were now standing in had a marble floor and wood-paneling going about a third of the way up the wall. The wood was dark, probably cherry, and above it the walls were a slate grey. There was a crystal chandelier overhead and a grandfather clock against the far wall. An open doorway to her left led to an elegant looking living room, and to her right was a flight of mahogany stairs, the wall of which was lined with paintings from Veronica Kasatkina to Monet.

Vera was so captivated by the interior of the house she didn't notice the dark figure closing in behind them until it was too late. Remy gasped as a tall man slammed him hard against the nearest wall, his clawed hand closing around Remy's neck.

"How did you get here?" Victor snarled.

"We're here to help you," Vera said, resisting the urge to run over and try to pry Victor's hands from Remy's throat.

Victor looked at her with eyebrows raised as if seeing her for the first time, "We don't need your help."

"Just let him go," Vera said, voice wavering slightly. Victor only snickered as he applied more and more pressure, completely cutting off Remy's air-supply. Her eyes flared at him as she moved closer, hands tightening into fists. She hesitated when he met her gaze without flinching.

"That won't work on me," he said, answering her thoughts as his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"What the fuck is going on down there?" a woman's voice called from upstairs. Vera and Victor both looked up to find Annessa making her way down the staircase. She was wearing a dark red bathrobe, her wet hair pulled into a ponytail behind her. She quickly assessed the situation as she made it to the bottom. "Victor, let him go," she said, frowning. He looked at her quizzically, but eventually did as she'd told him. Remy gasped for breath as he collapsed to the floor.

"Now will someone answer me?" Annessa continued, "What's going on and how the hell did they get in our house?"

"They broke in," Victor growled.

"We're here to help you," Vera repeated.

"How did you even find us?" Annessa asked, frowning.

"We got your location from the feds," Vera replied; Victor raised his eyebrows at this. "Which I guess is lucky for you," Vera continued, "Since we wouldn't have been able to come here and help you out if you hadn't screwed us over."

I do believe it was _your _boyfriend over there attacked _us_ first," Annessa said, motioning to Remy who had finally made it to his feet.

"Vera hadn't done anything and yet you were _more_ than willing to kill her," Remy snapped.

"If I'd wanted to kill her," Annessa said, "she'd already be dead." Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him.

"Look, arguing isn't getting us anywhere," Vera said, "And we don't have a lot of time." She turned to Victor before continuing, "We got your address because the feds have sent out a team to kill you and bring back the adamantium you stole."

Annessa looked nervous at this, but Victor remained calm, crossing his arms across his chest. "And you thought I'd need _your_ protection?"

"They're controlling Logan," Vera said, looking down at her feet, still feeling responsible for him.

After a long silence, Vera looked up again, meeting the intense look in Victor's eyes. "How?" he asked.

"Neural implant," Vera replied simply.

"Alright," Victor said at last, "You've got my attention." He looked at Annessa, who nodded, before he continued, "Now tell me what you're planning to do."


	15. Chapter 15: Trap

Vera ran her hands through her hair as she stared at her appearance in the mirror. There was a harsh bruise on her collarbone and a deep cut on her lower lip, and she could feel various aches and bruises elsewhere. She sighed, turning off the tap and drying her hands before turning to exit the room. Vera suspected Remy, Victor, and Annessa were still plotting downstairs. Victor had seemed rather suspicious when she'd asked to use his bathroom, and she knew she needed to get back as soon as possible. She opened the door and jumped, seeing Annessa, who was waiting just outside.

"Sorry," Annessa muttered with a pause, "I wanted to show you something." She walked briskly down the hall, forcing Vera to have to half-run in order to keep up. They stopped when they got to a small library at the far end of the hall.

Vera stood awkwardly at the doorway while Annessa entered the room, making her way toward a tall bookshelf; she had to drag over a chair to reach the top. She fumbled around a bit before returning to Vera with a small, colorful box.

Vera frowned as Annessa handed it to her, "What's this?" she asked.

I figured Gambit would be running out of these," Annessa explained

"_UNO_ cards?" Vera asked, skeptically, peering over the box.

"Victor and I have never played," Annessa said quickly, "And I assumed it didn't matter what type as long as Gambit could throw them."

"Well, thank you," Vera said, looking back up from the box at Annessa.

Annessa was staring off at the wall; she glanced at Vera before quickly saying, "I have something else I thought Gambit might appreciate." She pushed past Vera, briskly making her way across the hallway and down a flight of stairs; Vera had to hurry once again to keep up.

They stopped at the front entryway. Annessa swung open a closet door, rummaging around before yanking out a tall, black umbrella. "Here," she said, handing it to Vera.

"What's this for?" Vera asked, looking confused.

"Gambit lost his staff, right?" Annessa asked, "He can use it as a replacement."

"Well, thanks I guess," Vera said, tucking it under her arm, and looking again at the UNO cards.

"Don't mention it," Annessa said, shrugging and walking away toward the kitchen.

Remy and Victor were still sitting on opposite ends of the kitchen table. Victor was drinking a beer; between them sat a map of the surrounding area. Victor had marked their present location, and Remy had marked the location of the plane he and Vera had swiped from the feds. Neither was speaking as Annessa entered the room.

"We should head out soon," Victor said before finishing his beer, "I can hear their plane approaching." Annessa nodded.

Remy and Victor got up, following her back toward the entryway. Vera was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs. She had taken off her shoes before heading upstairs, and she was now fumbling, trying to get them back on as quickly as possible.

"What's that?" Remy asked, looking confused by the objects resting beside Vera on the stairs.

"An umbrella and a deck of UNO cards," Vera replied. She paused as she realized she wasn't sure of Annessa's name. "Joule, right?" she stammered.

"You can call me Annessa," Annessa answered without looking at her.

"Annessa," Vera continued, "Thought you could use them as replacements for your bo-staff and playing cards."

"Well, thanks," Remy said awkwardly, looking the umbrella over, "Do you mind if I disassemble this before I go?"

"They're yours now," Annessa said, shrugging, "Do with them what you want. I expect most of what I gave you to get blown up anyway."

"We'll leave now," Victor said, opening the door and nodding toward Annessa. He smirked before saying, "If you hurry you might be able to clean up the mess after we're done." Annessa shut the door behind her. Victor had already crossed the small yard and was heading into the woods when she turned back. She sighed, knowing that as fast as she was there was no way she could keep up with Victor.

---

The pilot frowned, messing with his control panel. "What's wrong?" Rathborn asked, noticing his pilot's expression. "We're picking up a distress signal a little ways ahead," the pilot explained, "I think it's the jet Gambit and Vortex stole." Rathborn frowned as well, before asking, "Do you think it's a trap?"

"I'm not sure," the pilot answered, looking concerned, "But they're fairly close to Sabretooth and Joule. It wouldn't take us very far out of our way to check their jet first."

Rathborn grimaced as he tried to decide his plan of action. At last he sighed, turning to face the rest of the plane. "We're going to take a quick detour," he announced, "It appears Gambit and Vortex have crashed close to our target. This could be an opportunity to recapture them, however, I'm going to send Juggernaut first. Approach the plane with caution, it could be a trap." The pilot nodded, taking their jet in for landing.

Rathborn glanced at Logan who was chained up in an adamantium cage. He'd stopped struggling, even though his chip currently wasn't activated, and was curled up in a corner looking nauseous. "Don't like flying?" Rathborn asked him, grinning wickedly. Logan only glared at him in answer as the plane descended over the trees.

They landed only a few yards from the other plane. Juggernaut immediately stood up, putting on a set of red armor with a dome-like helmet. He gave a quick nod to Rathborn before stepping out of the jet. The two planes were along a crystal, clear lake, offering a natural clearing in the surrounding woods. In the distance Cain could see a group of snow-capped mountains. The sky was mostly a deep blue, with the occasional puffy white cloud.

He approached the plane slowly, taking in the entire scene. The jet didn't look like it had crashed, and there was no smoke indicating an engine problem. He frowned stepping closer and running his hand along the hull of the plane.

"Looking for something?" a deep, gravelly voice asked from behind him. He turned around quickly to find himself face to face with a tall, muscular man with sharp blue eyes. Victor smiled, showing his elongated canines as his nails extended into claws. He was going to enjoy this.

-----

(A/N: Sorry these have been taking me a while to write. I'm going to try and finish this thing by the time I have to start school, so I'm going to try updating more frequently.)


	16. Chapter 16: Ambush

Victor flew backwards through the air, colliding with the hard trunk of a tree. It snapped under his weight, falling beneath him as he collapsed to the ground. Cain charged forward, barreling through the stump of the tree as Victor rolled out of the way.

"Creed," a voice jeered from the nearby jet, "What a pleasant surprise." Victor looked up to see Rathborn peering down at him. Cain stopped and turned around to look at Rathborn as well. "I believe you have something we want," Rathborn continued, leaning against the doorway of the jet, his arms folded across his chest.

"Why don't you come and get it yourself?" Victor called back to him, revealing his sharp canine teeth.

"That won't be necessary," Rathborn replied as he turned to Cain. "Knock him out," he ordered.

Cain turned to Victor, now smiling. He moved forward with, fists clenched in preparation for the fight to come. Victor backed up slightly, dropping low to avoid a sharp punch from Cain; he snarled, lunging forward again and slamming into the armored man with enough force to cause him to fall backwards.

Cain quickly regained his balance, snatching a hold of Victor by the back of his coat and sending him flying several hundred feet into the stolen plane. The metal creaked and groaned under the force, leaving a deep dent as Victor fell to the ground below.

As Victor attempted to get back up, Cain moved forward again. This time he caught him by the shoulder, pinning him against the hull of the jet. Victor growled in response, sinking his claws into his enemy's arm, but Cain didn't flinch as he aimed his free hand at Victor's head. The blow landed with a crack, slamming Victor's head into the smooth metal behind him. Cain let go, backing up to survey the damage as Victor collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from where Cain had hit him.

"Stay down," Cain said, glowering down at him, but Victor struggled to his feet, refusing to comply. He wiped the blood from his forehead on the back of his hand, face contorted into a grimace. Cain charged at him again, set on ending the fight quickly; Victor braced himself, his claws extended. Just when Cain began to swing out with his arm, aiming for Victor's neck, a slender figure appeared in front him, catching his fist in her hand. Victor's eyes widened as he realized it was Annessa who had stopped Cain in his tracks.

"I've got this guy," she said as Cain stared at her in shock, "Go and look for James." Victor stayed where he was, looking torn. Cain tried to push past Annessa but she kept him in place calling back at Victor again, "_Go_! I can handle him."

Cain finally dropped his hands back down to his sides; he attempted to hide his fear and shock with a cocky smirk. "_You're_ going to handle _me_?" he said in disbelief.

Annessa turned back to him looking annoyed as she said, "You're nothing."

Cain roared as he tried to tackle her to the ground but she absorbed his attack with ease, pushing him backwards. Victor finally felt assured that she could handle herself and moved out from behind her, heading for Rathborn's plane.

"I'm sorry," Annessa said, blocking another one of Cain's blows, "We haven't met before; allow me introduce myself." She caught Cain's fist as it came crashing down toward her head, stopping him in his tracks. "The name's Annessa Vladik," she continued, "But you can call me Joule."

She forced him backwards, slamming him through a tree as she continued to talk, "I'm sure you've realized by now that I'm a mutant, like you, but let me explain my power." Cain freed his hand from her grip and backed up slightly before charging, aiming his armored head at her stomach. Annessa caught him easily without budging an inch.

"I have the ability to absorb kinetic energy and convert it into physical strength," she explained, not even winded as she threw Cain crashing backwards into several trees on his way back to the ground. "Which means," she finished, an evil grin spreading across her face, "You are in more trouble than you can handle."

Just as Victor reached the door the jet, Rathborn managed to slam it in his face. He backed up, looking at Logan and Regan in desperation before reactivating Logan's chip. He watched as Logan screamed in agony.

Rathborn jumped as he noticed Victor's claws quickly slashing through the door of the jet. "Regan, quickly!" Rathborn shouted, "Release him!" Regan nodded, running to comply just as Victor burst through the door.

"Rathborn," Victor said, voice disturbingly calm, "Didn't I promise to rip you to shreds the last time we met?"

"Indeed you did, Creed," Rathborn said nervously as he backed away from the door, "And yet here I am, still intact. You must be losing your touch."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, now won't we?" Victor said, shooting him a toothy smile.

Suddenly, he was caught off guard as a dark-haired figure lunged forward, tackling him backwards, back through the door. A set of adamantium blades deeply penetrated Victor's torso, causing him to wince as Logan wrestled him to the ground.

Logan snarled savagely as Victor grabbed hold of his shoulders, prying him off with a roar as he tossed Logan threw the air. He charged forwards again, almost making it to the plane before Logan tackled him again. The two slashed at each other as both attempted to get back to their feet.

Victor made it to his feet first but quickly found himself on the ground again as he was dragged back down by Logan, who had stabbed him through the back. The two tore at each other again, Victor managing to dislodge him, but Logan grabbed him by the front of his coat this time, slamming him once again into the abandoned plane.

He pulled back his free hand, blades extended, and aimed for Victor's neck. Just as he was about to slash his throat, a strange card whizzed toward them, exploding against the ground at their feet. The blast knocked Logan backwards, as he released Victor, who stumbled to the side, looking in the direction the card had come from.

Remy stood at the edge of the clearing, Vera right behind him. He smirked at Victor, several more cards at the ready in his uninjured hand. "Miss me?" he asked, grinning wickedly. Victor only growled in reply.

---

(A/N: This is the first time since chapter one Victor's had any trouble in a fight. Poor guy. Anyways, I've been updating my X-Men Origins: Vortex prequel a lot lately so you should check it out, as well as kshires09's X-Men Origins: Joule.)


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